Sanitarium joins Australian Research Council Food Processing Centre

University of Sydney researchers will work with Australian manufacturer, Sanitarium Health and Wellbeing, as part of a three-year industry training centre.

Sanitarium has joined 11 other companies in becoming a member of the University’s Australian Research Council Food Processing Training Centre (ARC-FPTC).

Fariba Dehghani, Professor of chemical engineering and Director of the ARC Food Processing Training centre says ARC-FPTC was created to support Australian business design better methods of food processing and storage, as well as develop advanced manufacturing techniques aimed at reducing costs and increasing energy efficiency. Current members predominantly come from varying agricultural and food industry groups ranging from fruit growers to food packaging providers.

“The centre is focussed on boosting the Australian industry’s capacity to compete in a global market, particularly in the production of nutraceuticals for pharmaceuticals, dietary supplements, or food ingredients,” said Professor Fariba Dehghani from the centre.

“Our vision at the centre is to educate a new generation of engineers and scientists and foster the capacity of Australian food industries to further develop advanced technologies in manufacturing and product improvement,” Professor Dehghani said.

Sanitarium, best known for its Weet-Bix and Up&Go products, joined the ARC Centre on 1 July 2015. The food manufacturer will contribute to the funding of the Training Centre and will also provide expertise and resources from Sanitarium’s Development and Innovation Centre on the NSW Central Coast where Sanitarium is headquartered.